Page 36 of Haven

We’re getting closer. I hear shouts from the wall. They’re worried about me. One of the voices is Ham. He must have taken Brett’s place. Then I hear the squeaky sound of the crank on the gate.

Fuck it all to hell. It’s working. They’re going to open the gate. And the Wolf Pack might get inside.

I’m not sure why anyone doesn’t recognize that it’s Caden and not Brett under the hat. They’re about the same size and have a similar coloring, but they’re clearly two different people. Maybe he’s managing to hide his face. I can’t really tell through the streaming of my eyes.

I buck up against him like a trapped animal as we approach the half-open gate.

Then I hear Jackson’s voice. “Wait. Wait! Something’s wrong. Stop!”

To my immense relief, the creaking of the gate stops immediately.

Then, “That’s not Brett. Sound the alarm! Be ready.”

I’m almost sobbing now. There’s not much chance I’ll get out of this alive. Caden is going to kill me out of spite even if he has to do it on his dying breath. But still... Jackson has had us drill for this kind of thing for years. We know how to defend ourselves.

So at least the rest of them are going to be all right.

I hear the perimeter alarm blaring, summoning everyone to their defense positions.

It’s going to be all right.

Then I hear guns firing from the wall. The Pack must have made a run on the gate from the woods, but their only chance was taking us by surprise. Ham and Gail have the high ground, so they should be able to take down most of them before they even get close.

Caden must recognize it’s over at the same time I do. He pulls out a pistol and holds it to my head with his free hand. The other arm is still holding me in a viselike grip.

“Let her go, Caden.” Jackson’s voice. Hard and cold and furious. “You’ve lost here. You’re never getting in.”

I blink through my tears until I can see Jackson standing several feet away just inside the half-open gate. He’s aiming his rifle at us. I can’t see what’s happening behind me, but I’m pretty sure Ham and Gail have taken care of the rest of the threat. I still hear the rumble of engines, but they’re not getting closer. The drivers must have been shot.

“It was worth a try,” Caden says. He still sounds obnoxious, cocky, but I can also hear a tinge of fear underlying it. “You don’t deserve what you have here.”

“We worked for it. All of it. And we offered to share it with you if you’d been willing to work too.” Jackson wouldn’t bother trying to make conversation with Caden unless he had a reason. He’s probably stalling. Biding his time. Figuring out how best to handle this.

I’m not sure how he’s going to be able to get me out of this. Caden has a gun to my head, so I’m as good as dead.

At least Jackson won’t be killed. Or Ham or Gail or any of the others.

They’ll be okay even if I’m not.

“Well, now you’re going to let me walk out of here, unless you want to see your girl’s brains spattered all over the ground.”

“You’re not going to do that. You’re not going to touch her. If you let her go, then maybe you’ll be able to walk out of here alive.”

“You think I’m going to fall for that?” Caden is still trying to sound tough, but he’s really scared now. I can hear it. So will Jackson. “Lower your gun and let me walk away, or I swear to God I’ll kill her.”

The pain and panic have subsided enough by now that I’m able to see more clearly. I look up at Jackson, and for just a moment, he meets my gaze.

I understand what the look means. We’ve practiced this—just like we’ve practiced every other scenario of attack our imaginations could come up with.

So when Jackson starts blinking at a slow, steady pace, I know it’s a countdown.

If Caden had ever paid attention during drill training, he might have recognized it too.

But he doesn’t.

On the fifth blink, I use the last strength I can muster to duck and wrench myself out of Caden’s arm. I can’t actually get away, but I distract him enough that he moves his gun.

Jackson shoots him in the head.

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